1938 Green Bay Packers season
| 1938 Green Bay Packers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Curly Lambeau |
| Home stadium | City Stadium Wisconsin State Fair Park |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–3 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Western |
| Playoffs | Lost NFL Championship (at Giants) 17–23 |
The 1938 Green Bay Packers season was their 20th season overall and their 18th season in the National Football League. The team finished with an 8–3 record in 1938 under head coach Curly Lambeau, earning them a first-place finish in the Western Division.[1][2]
In the championship game at the Polo Grounds, the Packers lost to the New York Giants 23–17,[3][4] the first of only three losses the Packers have in 13 world championship games. The two teams met again in the title game the following year at Wisconsin State Fair Park, with different results.
This season marked the last Packers' win in Buffalo (where they defeated the Chicago Cardinals by two points on a late field goal on a Wednesday night).[5][6] Since then, they are winless in six attempts against the Buffalo Bills in western New York, the latest on October 30, 2022.
Schedule
[edit]| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | Cleveland Rams | W 26–17 | 1–0 | City Stadium | 8,247 | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 18 | at Chicago Bears | L 0–2 | 1–1 | City Stadium | 15,172 | Recap | ||
| 3 | September 25 | Chicago Cardinals | W 28–7 | 2–1 | Wisconsin State Fair Park | 18,000 | Recap | ||
| 4 | September 28 | v. Chicago Cardinals † | W 24–22 | 3–1 | Buffalo Civic Stadium | 10,687 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 9 | Detroit Lions | L 7–17 | 3–2 | City Stadium | 21,968 | Recap | ||
| 6 | October 16 | Brooklyn Dodgers | W 35–7 | 4–2 | Wisconsin State Fair Park | 11,892 | Recap | [7] | |
| 7 | October 23 | Pittsburgh Pirates | W 20–0 | 5–2 | City Stadium | 12,142 | Recap | ||
| 8 | October 30 | at Cleveland Rams | W 28–7 | 6–2 | League Park | 18,843 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 6 | at Chicago Bears | W 24–17 | 7–2 | Wrigley Field | 40,208 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 13 | at Detroit Lions | W 28–7 | 8–2 | Briggs Stadium | 45,139 | Recap | ||
| 11 | November 20 | at New York Giants | L 3–15 | 8–3 | Polo Grounds | 48,279 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents in bold. • † - Played at Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday night.[5] | |||||||||
Post-season
[edit]| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | December 11 | at New York Giants | L 17–23 | Polo Grounds | 48,120 | Recap |
Standings
[edit]| NFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 6–2 | 223 | 118 | L1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | 6–2 | 119 | 108 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | 3–5 | 194 | 148 | L1 | |
| Cleveland Rams | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | 3–5 | 131 | 215 | W1 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 2–6 | 111 | 168 | W1 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 8 | 2 | 1 | .800 | 5–2–1 | 194 | 79 | W1 | |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 3 | 2 | .667 | 4–2–2 | 148 | 154 | L1 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 4 | 4 | 3 | .500 | 3–2–3 | 131 | 161 | T1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 3–5 | 154 | 164 | W2 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | 2–6 | 79 | 169 | L6 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
[edit]- ^ "Lions upset by Eagles; Packers win title". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. December 5, 1938. p. 11.
- ^ Burton, Lewis (December 11, 1938). "Packers, Giants meet for title". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1B.
- ^ Burton, Lewis (December 12, 1938). "Giants defeat Packers, 23-17 for pro title". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 13.
- ^ Gannon, Pat (December 12, 1938). "Giants' early attack defeats Green Bay for title, 23 to 17". Milwaukee Journal. p. 4, part 2.
- ^ a b "Engebretsen's goal beats Cards". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 29, 1938. p. 12.
- ^ "Field goal wins for Green Bay". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. September 29, 1938. p. 29.
- ^ Associated Press, "Green Bay Routs Brooklyn, 35 to 7: Andy Uram Nets Score for Packers," Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 17, 1938, p. 12.
Further reading
[edit]- Cliff Christl, The Greatest Story in Sports: Green Bay Packers, 1919–2019. 4 volumes. Stevens Point, WI: KCI Sports Publishing, 2021.
- Larry D. Names, The History of the Green Bay Packers: The Lambeau Years, Part Two. Wautoma, WI: Angel Press of Wisconsin, 1989.
- Arch Ward, The Green Bay Packers. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1946.